The Collaboration Project – an independent forum of leaders committed to leveraging the interactive web and the benefits of collaborative technology to solve government’s complex problems. Powered by the National Academy of Public Administration, this “wikified” space is designed to share ideas, examples and insights on the adoption of Web 2.0 technologies in the field of public governance.

Change.gov Mobile – Change.gov continues to live up to its name. After integrating an OpenID logon system system for contributors and commenters, licensing information under Creative Commons 3.0, and a web 2.0 article rating system, Change.gov upped accessibility and overall coolness once again this week, as software company Cerado released a Change.gov iPhone application.

In addition to creating the iPhone app, Cerado also released a widget version of Change.gov that aggregates new video, blog and article information from the transitioning government website, thus making it much easier for internet users to spread the word on new happenings within the Obama administration.

Intellipedia – Launched in 2004, the DIA’s top-secret, uber-confidential “Intellipedia” program has been a very popular topic of discussion among those tracking government 2.0 initiatives. Supposedly, both the amount of content and the number of users subscribing to the service have tripled within the last 12 months alone.

One advantage to the Wiki approach is that it blurs the line between authorization and dissemination. This can be very useful for collaborative projects which require input from the end-user. We’ve already seen a few successful uses of Wiki technolgoy in the government sector (for example, see the 9/11 Commission Report Wiki), and we’ll probably be seeing more. I salivate at the idea of a good, informative Health and Human Services Wiki giving me answers to all of my personal health and insurance-related questions.

2010 Census – We should see some neat integration from the 2010 Census Project. For one, it looks like census data will now be gathered using internet forms.

By 2010, Census work will have provided part-time and full-time jobs for over 100,000 people. The Census bureau has to work hard in order to get people interested in participating in surveys, and will be looking to use new media sure as Facebook and Myspace in order to do so.

Web Accessibilty – 43 million Americans (as well as 9% of Military veterans) currently have a disability status, according to the ADA. This group of people can really benefit from being able to access more information on the Internet. Will the government launch any new services in order to help bring accessibility to more government internet services?

On a related note, there is also a strong demand for more support to be provided to Iraq veterans – and this need will be amplified as more veterans return home. Military veterans require special services, and must be guided through the process of re-adjusting to everyday life in America. Perhaps, there’s even something we can do at GovCentral and Military.com to help on this front – we are definitely trying!

Our Ideas

Platform for Government Contractors – Recently, I’ve been coming across a lot of excellent websites to help freelance (computer) programmers access part-time programming jobs. For example, check out Guru and ODesk. Basically, these sites allow for programmers to meet contractors in order to do work and be paid on a project-by-project basis. The more satisfied the employers are with the programmers (and vice versa), the better one’s credibility and reputation gets on the site – increasing your hire-ability, more respected, and raising your base pay.

This seems like exactly the type of thing we need to create for government contractors. An easy-to-use, rewarding system for government contract workers to get hired, and get paid. Who wants to help me develop it?

Mash-ups, Mash-ups, Mash-ups!

Geospatial mash-ups which incorporate Google Maps are very useful, and fairly easy to implement. I’m not sure how many government techies are interested in this technology, but I would estimate that many are.

One interesting use of a maps mash-up: create custom maps to track the Obama administration’s progress in restoring American infrastructure, building new highways, and transporting natural resources. Map hacks can also be use to monitor and display information on areas which are susceptible to flooding or natural disasters.

What Else Is Next?

We’d love to hear any ideas you have on the issue. Leave a comment, or send ideas to info [at] govcentral.com.